Live Life with More Ease – Find Relief with PT
If you have arthritis, then you know all about the difficulties it can cause with moving and working through your daily life. What you may not know, however, is that physical therapy can help you find relief from your arthritis pain.
There is no cure for arthritis, but by using the exercises and techniques that your physical therapist can teach you, you can slow down the onset of arthritis and experience less pain overall. These are some great reasons to call our office and schedule an appointment with a physical therapist today.
What can I expect from a physical therapy treatment plan?
Physical therapy visits are often short-lived. Your therapist will focus on finding problems with your physical function related to arthritis, and teaching you methods that can be used at home to relieve pain.
The way to actually achieve pain relief from your arthritis is to keep up with the methods in the long term. The improvement is going to be gradual, so it’s important that you follow your physical therapist’s recommendations.
To help your physical therapist provide you with the best advice possible, think carefully about the different physical goals you might have.
For example, you might want to be able to do your daily work without straining your hips or knees, reach things high up on the kitchen shelf, or just get in and out of your car without any pain. Expressing these goals to your physical therapist will aid in ensuring that your treatments are as specific to your goals as possible.
Your physical therapy sessions probably won’t have to be done on a weekly basis. There should be enough time every few weeks to monitor your condition and progress. If you are ready for arthritis pain relief, please call our office to schedule your first appointment with a licensed and dedicated physical therapist.
What can physical therapy do for arthritis relief?
There are over 100 types of arthritis. Physical therapy can help treat any form of arthritis you may be experiencing, including some of the most common types like:
- Psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis typically affects large joints, causing inflammation in the places where tendons and ligaments connect to bone.
- Gout. This condition is extremely painful and occurs when there is an increased level of uric acid in your bloodstream.
- Osteoarthritis. This condition occurs due to wear and tear of the cartilage. It typically affects the spine, hands, knees, and hips.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. This results from an overactive immune system. It affects the hands, feet, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.
Arthritis attacks the joints of the body, so the goal of physical therapy will be to restore the use of those joints and improve your ability to move around and engage in daily activities.
This will be achieved through a combination of exercise to strengthen the support structures around the joints, and teaching you how to move and engage in activities without worsening your symptoms.
The exact course of treatment that your physical therapist will prescribe will depend on how advanced your arthritis is and which parts of the body are impacted.
The physical exercises your therapist will teach you will be directed toward improving your mobility, range of motion, flexibility and coordination. Additional treatments for your arthritis may include:
- Environment Modifications: Your physical therapist can make specific recommendations for additional therapeutic aids based on your type of arthritis. These can include ergonomic furniture or cushioned mats in areas of your home or at work where you tend to stand on your feet for long periods of time.
- Treatments: Modern physical therapy has a broad range of treatment options available to assist with arthritis pain. Hot and cold therapy can relieve the pain and stiffness in joints; braces or splints can help to stabilize and support arthritic joints; shoe inserts can relieve arthritis pain in the lower extremities; and so on.
- Education: Sometimes arthritis in the hip or knee will require the use of assistive mobility devices, such as a cane or walker. Your physical therapist will teach you the proper way to use these devices.
- Posture: Your therapist will teach you various body mechanic techniques that will improve joint function and reduce pain. You will also be taught ways to use your strongest muscles and joints to relieve pressure on arthritic joints.
Ready to get started?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost a quarter of all American adults are living with arthritis! This means that every day, over 54 million people live with stiff, achy, swollen, and sore joints.
If you have been living with arthritis, we can help you live life more comfortably.
For more information on how you can benefit from our natural, safe, and non-invasive treatment methods, contact Bullhead Physical Therapy today to schedule your initial appointment!
